This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Horseshoe Bend Battlefield" (with photographs), documents from archives at Horseshoe Bend National Military park, and other resources. It was written by Virginia Horak, Public Affairs Specialist, Interagency Archeological Services Division of the National Park Service. TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into the classrooms across the country.

Objectives for students1) To discover the political and cultural conflicts that led to the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.2) To describe the battle's long-term effects on the Creek.3) To evaluate historical maps of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.4) To research American Indian cultures that are or were located in their own community or region.

Materials for studentsThe materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer or can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students. The maps and images appear twice: in a low-resolution version with associated questions and alone in a larger, high-resolution version.1)two maps of the Creek homelands and Horseshoe Bend;2)three readings that describe the Creek Indians, European American/American Indian relations, and the battle and its consequences;3)one drawing of an archeologists' conception of how the barricade at Horseshoe Bend was constructed;4)two illustrations of the battleground.

Visiting the site
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, administered by the National Park Service, is located in east-central Alabama on Highway 49, 12 miles north of Dadeville and 18 miles northeast of Alexander City. Horseshoe Bend NMP is open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., all year. It is closed on December 25. For more information, write the Superintendent, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, 11288 Horseshoe Bend Road, Daviston, AL 36256-9751 or
visit the park's Web page.